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Sunday, 28 July 2013

Here at ACM we believe that sometimes it's the smaller details that matter. Our enamel pin badges are a great addition to any shirt, jacket, hat or bag.

Here we have a set of two 1" enamel pin badges featuring the ACM logo. The back of the badges feature a butterfly clip, for secure fastening to any of your garments. These pin sets are limited to just 100 pieces and each set comes with a numbered collectors card. The badges are made from 100% Nickel, here in the UK and are available to buy now from our online store.

Saturday, 27 July 2013

Up your sock game and help start a business at the same time, with socks by Cole+Parker. These bold, creative, intentionally designed, premium quality socks will help you stand out from the crowd and change the lives of aspiring entrepreneurs around the world.Cole+Parker is a team of entrepreneurs who came together to create a business that would help support entrepreneurs both locally and globally, as well as creating amazing socks. Jeff was pumped about micro-finance and seeding start ups in developing countries. He had been to Columbia and heard pitches from trust groups and saw the pride in entrepreneurs who sustained themselves from receiving micro-loans. He also likes socks. A lot. Diana knew three things: She liked Jeff’s socks, she loved to hustle and market great products and she also wanted to support entrepreneurship in North America and abroad in any way she could.

After teaming up with a world class designer and a sock expert, with over ten years of product development experience, and also looked to pioneers for building socially responsible businesses. They came up with the "One For Many" business model. Sale proceeds are loaned through their partner Kiva (a non-profit organization) to fund entrepreneurs in the developing world. Once a loan is payed back they use those funds to fund another entrepreneur, thus creating a revolving loan effect.

20% of the proceeds from each purchase is donated to support entrepreneurs in poverty and of their donations, 80% goes directly to fund entrepreneurs who normally wouldn't be given the opportunity to start a business, thus changing their life path. Micro finance has proven to help sustain communities in a dignified way. An amazing 99% of all loans through Kiva are repaid. Cole+Parker's goal is to support as many entrepreneurs around the world as possible.www.coleandparker.co

Friday, 26 July 2013

Hatchet & Bear products are a collection of hand-crafted utensils, bowls and objects for everyday use around the home, as well as being designed to assist you on all of your adventures into the wilderness, whether they be woodland wanderings, sea-faring voyages or mountain climbs.

These wonderful and practical, hand-crafted products are made in the UK by EJ Osborne, and are made to order, using simple tools and traditional methods. With a selection of hand hewn, locally gathered wood, they will become more beautiful with age and use.

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Small Castle manufacture leather bags, belts and accessories by hand in Nottingham, England. We have only just came across the brand in the last month, via social networking, and we were instantly drawn in by the carefully selected and limited hand made leather goods, that were available from their online store. Rachel Lovatt, the founder and designer at Small Castle has been everything from a scrap vehicle dismantler, to an award winning packaging designer, so she knows a thing or two about drive shafts and cardboard. She is a strong advocate of British design and manufacturing. As we are an online publication that is always on the look out for new company's, artisans and designers, to focus on their commitment to quality, craftsmanship and innovation. We were eager to delve deeper and find out more about Small Castle and its founder Rachel Lovatt.

Make a pot of peppermint
tea, tune the radio to BBC6 Music, paint my toe nails, like some Instagram pictures of my friends shoes, then either answer emails or just get on with
making up the orders, depending on whether crafting things or administrating things
is the priority.

What are the tools of your
trade?

A blank page, a well
sharpened pencil, some very sharp knives and devilishly sharp scissors,
assorted antique sewing machines and an idea that some things would be much
better if they had a well designed leather vessel to keep them safe.

When was Small Castle
founded and by whom?

I got Small Castle on it's
feet about 9 months ago, and it is still very much in the process of learning
to walk.

What sparked the interest
in making leather goods?

I have always been a
designer and maker of articles and objects, be it ceramic, wool, glass, timber,
silk, dough or concrete as the raw material. Constructing goods is something I
have, and will continue to do, at the moment the medium of choice is leather.

Who or what inspires you?

The who's, I'm currently
finding the writing of Sophie Heawood rather motivating, and Tom Ravenscroft
can play a good record. With what's as 80's German cars, 70's Japanese cameras,
origami, butterflies, kaleidoscopes, sunshine, and the beauty of the everyday.
These things are taken through the prism of modern life and it's needs, forming
new and influential visions from which to feed. The latest product is a case in
point, a shockingly simple keyring developed from some ingenious ribbon tying
on a birthday present.

Your goods are of high
quality and are made to last. Could you tell us about the materials and
processes used?

At the moment we only use
English Bridle Leather, an expensive, but satisfying material to work with.
It's a pleasure to cut and sew, which I hope shows in the finished article.
Each piece is individually crafted with care, and whilst patterns are followed,
by it's very nature of being all are to a certain extent unique.

Your based in the UK, and
all your products are made in your workshop in the UK. Is this challenging?

Not in the slightest, the
joy for me is to create, I would get no satisfaction from outsourcing our
products. The only exception I foresee is if a collaborative project came to
rise and necessitated the inclusion of elements that were beyond our scope of
capabilities, in that situation a suitably talented British company would be
enlisted to assist in it's realisation.

There seems to be quite a
rise in made in England products of late. How important do you think it is that
people buy British?

Wherever possible British
made, or designed goods should be chosen, partly to fund the British economy,
and partly because we make some extraordinarily good stuff here in the UK and
it should be revered. If you purchase an item from a small British company, and
have an issue with it's function, just pick up the phone or pop round to the
factory and have a word.

What is the future goals
and aspirations of the company? Do you see yourselves growing on a big scale,
or are you happy being as you are now, selling quality made products here in
the UK?

We'll stay small, and stay pure.

Thanks Rachel for taking time out from drinking tea, painting your nails and what must be a busy schedule, to give us an insight into your company and your field of work.ACM

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Stationary ogling seems to be a quality past time, and if your in need of new stationary for the office, then look no further than Present & Correct.

Present & Correct opened their virtual doors in 2008. The online store is a place for their own designs, things they love by other designers from around the world and vintage items which they have discovered around Europe, and beyond.

It's a showcase for the things they have enjoyed since school. A long-term obsession with stationary has culminated in a constantly evolving store. Selling wonderful, quality, quirky and colourful paper and office objects which are inspired by homework, the Post Office and school.

The founders of P&C have a great love and obsession for this field and hope to spark a distant memory and make you smile, whilst looking at the mundane in a new, and fonder, light.

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Sunspel presents 'A Day In The Life Of A British Clothing Factory', a beautiful, delicate, well put together short film that explores Sunspel's unique philosophy of design and craft, and shows a typical day in the Sunspel Long Eaton factory.Credits |Filmed, Directed and Edited by Danny Cooke Timelapse Photography by Alex Thornton Production: Laura Holmes Productionwww.sunspel.com

Take notes in style, and keep them dry with this beautiful, quality handmade notebook cover by Small Castle.

Made by hand in Nottingham, England. It's made from butter smooth and gloriously supple English Bridle Shoulder, a leather that is tanned in the traditional fashion using natural vegetable tannins. This process takes a month to complete, resulting in a leather that feels beautiful and ages just the way you want, but so rarely get.

The Small Castle "Undercover Moleskine Cover" perfectly fits Moleskine 13 x 21cm notebooks. One is supplied, with 80 pages of plain paper. There's also space to slip your best writing instrument down the spine, meaning there's no more dog-eared cardboard covers. Available in London Tan and Pitch Black.

Sunday, 14 July 2013

This spacious 'Utility Tote' bag by UK based Campbell Cole, is a high quality product that will fit into your daily life, quite effortlessly. It's big enough to fill with everything you could possibly need for a day out plus a little more. It has numerous, useful pockets, including a secure zip pocket inside, and large, easily accessible outer pockets. It's unlined, but that's not a problem, because this tote is made from stiff technical acrylic canvas which is water and fade resistant. The nature of the canvas means that it will develop distinctive creases and softens over time. Inside, the seams are bound with contrast grosgrain tape. The leather handles and trims are made from a waxy veg tanned leather that will age beautifully. The Riri zips are of the highest quality and world renowned for their durability. Made in Somerset, England.www.campbellcole.co.uk

Saturday, 13 July 2013

Something for you coffee connoisseurs today. A compelling and informative short film on how to make a proper Espresso.I'm far from a coffee connoisseur myself, but I am a bit of a coffee addict. I've only ever really been interested in drinking it, until now. I have become fascinated with the different tastes, aromas and the process of making a decent cup of coffee. It's only now that I have realised I've taken coffee for granted and never really understood the skills needed and the process taken by the Barista to create that perfect cup of coffee that I have enjoyed in so many Bistros.

Thursday, 4 July 2013

The chip fork by Mamnick is a great little bit of kit. A chip fork on one end and a bottle opener on the other. Made in Sheffield, it's laser cut, laser etched, and hand finished from hardened and tempered Sheffield stainless steel. One side features the Mamnick logo and the other 'Made In Sheffield'. A key- ring loop is also included, so you can keep it attached to your keys. The chip fork comes nicely packaged in a hand-stamped box made from recycled material and wrapped in a piece of black Irish linen.www.mamnick.com